A BRIERLEY Hill cafe boss has landed a court bill of £2,725 after inspectors uncovered a string of hygiene problems.

Owner Lee Beddal pleaded guilty to nine offences under the food safety and hygiene regulations at Wolverhampton Magistrates Court on January 5 after Dudley Council environmental health officers found unsatisfactory conditions upon carrying out inspections at Wend’s Cafe.

The cafe based on the Starcrest Industrial Estate, Talbots Lane, was given a hygiene rating of zero after the first inspection in November 2015 and two improvement notices were served.

But they had not been complied with when inspectors revisited in January last year; and despite further inspections since the cafe has still only achieved a hygiene rating of one out of five.

Beddal, aged 46, was prosecuted for not keeping food premises, fittings and equipment clean, failing to keep the premises in good condition, failing to provide hand wash basins in the toilets with running hot and cold water, failing to deal with defective walls and ceilings and not providing an insect screen to the kitchen door.

He also admitted failing to implement an adequate food safety management system and failing to comply with two improvement notices - and he was fined £1,750 for the offences and ordered to pay £800 in court costs plus a £175 victim surcharge.

Councillor Rachel Harris, Dudley’s cabinet member responsible for health and wellbeing, said: “Our environmental health officers work closely with food businesses to ensure they know the law and to offer help and advice whenever possible but unfortunately in some cases prosecution is the only option to ensure people are protected.

“Nearly half of all food outlets in our borough achieve a top hygiene rating of five and the vast majority achieve a satisfactory rating of three or more.

"People can check out hygiene ratings online as it offers a glimpse of what is going on behind the scenes in the places they buy food from.”

Food hygiene ratings in Dudley can be viewed online at www.dudley.gov.uk/foodsafety or at www.food.gov.uk/ratings

Help and advice for businesses on complying with the law is also available online at www.dudley.gov.uk